Doncaster is UK capital for exotic bully dogs, smaller sibling of banned XL Bully breed

Data from puppies.co.uk has revealed that the city was ahead of Cambridge, Peterborough, Bournemouth and Slough in a rundown of places where both numbers and searches online for the breed are high.

A spokesperson said: “Exotic bully dogs are bred to be extremely muscular and strong. In the past quarter, searches for the breed have increased by 31%.

"What’s more, searches have increased by a further 24% in the past month alone.

“We analysed Google search data to determine the popularity of Exotic Bullies in each city – and Doncaster takes the top spot, with approximately 253 searches made for Exotic Bullies per 100,000 residents.”

The spokesperson: “At first glance, Exotic Bullies look like smaller versions of XL Bullies.

"While this may make them seem like a good choice, some breeders prioritise appearance over health when selecting traits, leading to increased health issues and other breeders label their litter 'Exotic' without understanding the accepted definition.

"This in turn may result in undesirable behaviour such as unstable temperament.

"Of course, owners play a key role in ensuring that their dogs are properly trained and socialised, but if Bullies are not bred properly in the first place, this can be a difficult task.

"Puppies.co.uk and our partner Agria advocate for responsible ownership and breeding, we encourage owners to find reputable breeders with the ability to trace the lineage of your puppy.”

"More needs to be done to ensure that all dog breeds are bred properly and raised properly.

"In our opinion, the responsible breeding of dogs has many components but here we cover two key components. Temperament and health, both of which come from the parents as their mix of genetic pools will predict the temperament and health of the litter.

"On the temperament side, a stud and bitch should not be bred from if they are known to exhibit negative traits or temperaments.

"For example, breeding a known aggressive dog or perhaps if a dog that has not had proper training it would be difficult to know if they have the potential for a stable and reliable temperament.

"The temperament of previous offspring is also a very important factor that a responsible breeder will take into consideration. After ensuring the temperament is acceptable, responsible breeders will ensure the health of the stud and bitch before breeding. The most accepted practice for this is a DNA genetic health test, whereby genetic diseases can be screened for to understand if the parents are carriers of potentially harmful genetic diseases.

"After these practices have been considered, responsible breeders will also socialise, groom, give good and clean conditions for the dogs to be raised in, as well as many other items which can be built upon the foundation of breeding for temperament and health.

“Any dog of any breed which is raised, trained and bred properly and responsibly has the ability to be calm and obedient around anyone, including children.

"We believe in equality for all dog breeds, and the focus must be on responsible ownership and responsible training, instead of tainting and tarnishing whole breeds with one brush as being 'agreessive' or 'unsuitable for children', this includes all Bully types.

"Each time a breed is 'banned' we miss an opportunity to educate dog owners and breeders on what really matters, in favour of a plaster solution and unscrupulous practices will just migrate to the next breed in fashion. It must stop.”

The past year has seen several horrific attacks by XL Bully dogs, including several in Doncaster and last September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to ban the dog - meaning owners have to register them and apply for an exemption.

But some owners are exploiting a loophole by buying nano, micro and pocket versions of the dog, which are not exempt because they do not meet the criteria for the banned breed.

It is claimed the XL bully's smaller sibling - which grows to 22-27cm in height - is not aggressive and the only problem owners have is the dogs chewing their skirting boards.

Some experts have warned that the extreme levels of inbreeding that occurs to create the bite-sized dogs could be problematic and they can still be a 'risk to the public'.